Drawing Together: The Longfellows' Cultural Legacy


George Washington, ca. 1796

George Washington, ca. 1796
Item 7281   info
Maine Historical Society

Built in 1759 by a Tory merchant, the house already had achieved landmark status because in 1775 George Washington occupied it as his headquarters while driving the British from Boston. After the Revolutionary War, Andrew Craigie purchased and enlarged it, hence its moniker “Castle Craigie.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow rented a room there in 1837 while teaching modern languages at Harvard College.

In 1843 Nathan Appleton purchased it as a wedding gift for his daughter, Fanny Appleton, and Henry, who lived there for the remainder of his life. On moving in, Fanny Longfellow observed: "how noble an inheritance. This is where Washington dwelt in every room."

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